F1TG 4200 - Citizenship and Political Participation in the Digital Age

Governments, protests, voting and political communication are increasingly shaped by digital platforms, data infrastructures and, to a lesser extent, artificial intelligence. Do these transformations renew citizenship, or do they simply reinforce existing patterns in citizen-government interactions? This course examines how digital media reconfigure political participation, from institutional engagement to networked forms of mobilization and emerging consumer-driven activism. It explores key dynamics such as platform governance, data-driven campaigning, online polarization and digital contention. The course also addresses the tensions between democratic participation and new forms of control, including debates on digital authoritarianism.

Learning Outcomes

• Analyse how digital platforms, data infrastructures and artificial intelligence transform political behaviour, representation and communication, drawing on key theories in political science and political communication.
• Evaluate the role of digital environments in structuring political competition, public debate and governance, including their implications for democratic participation, polarization and forms of control.
• Apply conceptual and methodological tools to critically assess real-world cases (e.g. campaigns, social movements, platform dynamics, information disorders), with attention to cross-national and institutional variations.

Professional Skills

• Develop the ability to critically navigate digital information environments and assess the reliability, quality and political implications of online content.
• Enhance research and writing skills essential for effectively communicating complex ideas and presenting evidence-based arguments in professional settings.
• Build the capacity to understand and communicate the strategic use of digital tools in political and institutional settings (e.g. campaigning, policymaking, public communication).

This class does not assume prior knowledge or technological expertise to study politics. It provides students with the key toolkit of concepts, theories, and methods to carry out ‘e-literate’ analysis of policy and politics in general and to approach more specialized classes in the field.

Students will receive comprehensive individual feedback on their presentations, final exam, and class participation to support their learning and development throughout the semester.

The course evaluation rests on 3 grades:

• Class participation (10%): Students are expected to attend all sessions and actively contribute to class discussions. This includes engaging critically with the readings, asking informed questions, and providing constructive feedback on peers’ presentations.
• Student presentation (40%): Each student will deliver a case study presentation illustrating a key concept covered in the course. Topics must be approved in advance by the instructor. Presentations will take place at the beginning of each session (from Session 2 onwards). A shared schedule will be made available at the start of the course. Each presentation will be followed by a brief discussion and feedback.
• Final exam (50%): Students will submit a 2,500-word policy paper (excluding references, footnotes and appendices). The paper should develop the case study presented in class, incorporating feedback received during the presentation, and apply relevant theoretical and empirical insights from the course. The submission deadline is TBC.

Conduct:

• It is expected that all sessions will begin on time. The course follows a format of 2-hour classes with a 10-minute break included.
• If you use AI (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) to write your policy paper, you are required to be transparent about it. More specifically, list the prompts and answers in a separate appendix at the end of the term paper. This appendix does not count towards the word count. You do not need to list the use of AI for coding, data analysis, and grammar corrections (e.g., Deepl Write, Grammarly, etc.). Please remember always to respect the rules of academic integrity and honesty!

• Attendance: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester.
• Online learning activities: 12 hours for engaging with digital resources, analysing political data, and participating in online discussions.
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 36 hours for studying the assigned readings, theories, and concepts to prepare for class discussions and activities.
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 24 hours for collaborating with team members, researching, and preparing group presentations and projects.
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 54 hours for conducting research, analysing data, and writing essays or papers for individual assessments.